CHICKEN JALFREZI

(Pictured) Serves 4.

You will need:

2 tablespoons ghee or sunflower oil

1 onion, peeled, quartered and sliced

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

A generous 2cm (1in) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

Half to 1 red chilli, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2-3 teaspoons jalfrezi spice mix (see Rachel recommends, below right)

450g (1lb) very ripe tomatoes, chopped

½ teaspoon sugar

200ml (7fl oz) chicken stock

4 chicken breasts, sliced; or skinned and boned chicken thighs, sliced

75g (3oz) sliced spring onions

75g (3oz) fresh or frozen peas

A good squeeze of fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves

Basmati rice, to serve

Put a wide pan over a medium heat and allow it to get warm. Add in the ghee or the sunflower oil, whichever you’re using, and heat it up. Next, tip in the sliced onion, the sliced garlic, the finely grated fresh ginger and the chopped red chilli, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook, stirring regularly, until the sliced onion is really soft and slightly golden around the edges. This may take up to 10 minutes.

Stir in the jalfrezi spice mix and cook, stirring, for a minute or so, until the mixture is fragrant, then turn the heat up a bit and add in the chopped tomatoes and the sugar. Cook for about 10 minutes more until the tomatoes have softened, then pour in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to the boil. Add in the sliced chicken breasts or sliced chicken thighs, whichever you’re using.

Bring the pan up to a gentle simmer and cook the chicken — sliced chicken breasts will cook faster than sliced chicken thighs. When the chicken is almost cooked, add in the sliced spring onions and the fresh or frozen peas, whichever you’re using, and continue to cook everything for a couple of minutes more.

Finally, add the fresh lime juice and taste the jalfrezi for seasoning — it may need some more sea salt, or freshly ground black pepper or sugar. Serve with the fresh coriander leaves over the top and some steaming-hot basmati rice.